Claudio Fragasso made this the same year he directed the legendary Troll 2. (It just took two years to reach American video store shelves.) It even stars that film’s juvenile hero Michael Stephenson, making his screen debut. Naturally, it doesn’t quite live up to the lofty standards of that classic, but then again, what could?
Gene (Metamorphosis) LeBrock stars as a preacher who moves his family into a creepy old house. Before long, strange occurrences start happening. What do I mean by strange? How about radios moving around on their own and broadcasting satanic messages before they blow up? The family soon learns the house is haunted by the spirit of a child murdering witch. When she kidnaps the preacher’s kid (Stephenson), our hero is forced to turn to an alcoholic street preacher (David Brandon) to perform an exorcism.
Coming from the same director as Troll 2 (and the same year, no less), it’s surprising to say that Beyond Darkness contains a couple of effective moments here and there. I especially liked the imagery when the souls of the children appeared during the execution scene. Fragasso delivers an atmospheric dream sequence as well. Then again, when you film your movie in the same house from The Beyond, you’re bound to get a little bit more atmosphere than your typical haunted house flick.
Despite the fact that it is marginally competent, for the most part, Beyond Darkness is a sluggish bore. On occasion, it threatens to come to life, but it almost immediately runs aground once it starts showing a little promise. On the plus side, there’s a little something for everyone: Haunted houses, exorcisms, zombies, witches, etc. The witch herself is kind of like a mix of Freddy Krueger, Horace Pinker, and Max Jenke, and there are moments that also crib from The Beyond and House by the Cemetery. However, it just never quite comes together in a satisfying way. Still, as Italian genre exercises go, you can do a lot worse.
AKA: House 5. AKA: Horror House 2. AKA: Ghosthouse 6. AKA: Evil Dead 5.
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